Full Season Pickup for NBC's 'The Event,' 'Outsourced' and 'Law & Order: L.A.'

NBC orders full seasons for three freshmen series — The Event, Outsourced and Law & Order: Los Angeles.

NBC Orders Full Seasons of ‘The Event,’ ‘Outsourced’ and Law & Order: L.A.’

On Monday, NBC announced it was ordering a full season for three of its freshmen programs. “We are pleased with the quality of ‘The Event, ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’ and ‘Outsourced,’ and feel they are an important part of helping to re-build our schedule and our studio pipeline,” said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC & Universal Media Studios. “We believe in these new series and the creative auspices behind them.”

This news should have fans of The Event, Law & Order: Los Angeles and Outsourced breathing a collective sigh of relief. While none of the shows have been a bona fide hit for NBC, the series have performed solidly. The Event has averaged 9.1 million viewers since its premiere on September 20. The Event has generated a 30% improvement in the time period versus a year ago (3.0 vs. a 2.3) and a 47% increase in total viewers (9.1 million vs. 6.2 million). It was also the most time-shifted series percentage wise during premiere week among the ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX primetime lineups.

LO:LA has averaged 8.7 million viewers (2.5/7 in adults 18-49) and is up 45% in the same time period in total viewers compared to last year; Outsourced averages 6.3 million viewers and according to NBC has the highest 18-34 demo for the new series this fall.

While ratings for The Event have seen a steady decline in ratings since its strong 11.19 million viewer debut, when taken into account how NBC measures their shows ratings, the viewership trends higher. The system is called TAMi — Total Audience Measurement index. TAMi counts the “exposures” an episode has over multiple data sources including broadcast airings & repeats, DVR viewership, Internet streaming (NBC.com, Hulu and NBC Direct) and VOD (Video on Demand).

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Ryan White-Nobles

Ryan White-Nobles is Editor-in-Chief of TVSource Magazine. He's a natural #Heel who loves a spirited debate and probably watches too much TV. Follow him on Twitter at @SourceRyan to discuss all things TV, soaps, sports, wrestling and pop culture.